William Ranson Mortlock (1821 – 10 May 1884) was a grazier and politician in colonial

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

.H. Kempe
'Mortlock, William Ranson (1821 - 1884)'
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, Melbourne University Press, 1974, pp 301-302. Mortlock was born at Moat House,

Melbourn Melbourn () is a large, clustered village in the far south-west of Cambridgeshire, England. Its traditional high street is bypassed by the A10, intersecting the settlement's other main axis exactly northwest of the traditional focal point of R ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

, England. Mortlock arrived in South Australia on the ''Imaum of Muscat'' on 9 November 1843. In 1850 at

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...

he married Margaret, 18-year-old daughter of John Tennant who had arrived in South Australia from Scotland in 1839. He was a veterinary surgeon and sheep inspector in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

for a period. In 1847, he occupied land near

that would subsequently become Yalluna Station, and he resigned his inspector role in 1856. He acquired three more leases in 1867-68: the Mount Arden, Pichi Richi, and Yudnapinna Stations. He was elected to the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assembly was creat ...

at the 1868 election, representing

Flinders Flinders may refer to: Places Antarctica * Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula Australia New South Wales * Flinders County, New South Wales * Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour * Flinders, New South Wa ...

, but did not contest the 1870 election. He was elected for Flinders a second time at the 1871 election, but again declined to recontest at the 1875 election, and advertised that he was leaving the colony soon afterwards. He was elected for a third time at the 1878 election and re-elected in 1881, before being defeated in 1884, just weeks before his death. He died in 1884 at Avenel House,

Medindie Medindie (formerly also known as Medindee or Medindi) is an inner northern suburb of Adelaide the capital of South Australia. It is located adjacent to the Adelaide Park Lands, just north of North Adelaide, and is bounded by Robe Terrace to the ...

, aged 63. His son,

William Tennant Mortlock William Tennant Mortlock (1858 – 17 August 1913) was a South Australian grazier and politician. Mortlock was born near Port Lincoln, the son of William Ranson Mortlock. He was educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide and Jesus College, Camb ...

, inherited and expanded his pastoral empire and was elected to parliament for his old seat. Along with his son, daughter-in-law Rosina, grandson,

John Andrew Tennant Mortlock John Andrew Tennant Mortlock (30 March 1894 – 15 March 1950) was a pastoralist in South Australia, remembered as a major benefactor of the State Library of South Australia and commemorated by the " Mortlock Wing" of the library. History ...

(1894–1950), and John's wife Dorothy Elizabeth Mortlock (1906–1979), the Mortlock family left the

Waite Agricultural Research Institute The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, the

State Library of South Australia The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research l ...

, the

City of Adelaide The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council is a local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia and is legally defined as the capital city of South ...

and the State of South Australia with many significant and lasting legacies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortlock, William Ranson 1821 births 1884 deaths Members of the South Australian House of Assembly William Ranson 19th-century Australian politicians People from Melbourn Australian people of English descent